Versus: Raimundo vs Aang
by Beatrixo Lestrange
Summary: A supernatural contest has summoned people from all over the galaxy to face each other.


"Welcome to the first annual versus match!" the announcer said over the intercom. Aang was confused, actually he was more than confused, he was a little excited.

"Are there more airbenders in your world?" he had asked the strange boy on their ride to the field. The boy had dark skin, brown hair, green eyes and a lean, muscular frame. He wore a green and white shirt that was tight across his chest and baggy green pants.

"We don't really call it airbending," he had responded ever so coolly. "I usually just cry wind and that's how I use my powers."

"Wow," Aang had mused. "I don't have to say anything to bend my elements."

"Wait, elements?" the boy sat up. "You mean as in, more than one?"

"Mhmm," Aang stared at the boy's bottle of water. "May I…"

"Raimundo."

"May I Raimundo?"

The boy nodded. Aang splayed his fingers wide. The water inside the bottle solidified almost instantly. Raimundo's eyes went wide. "Whoa! No fair," he said. "Why aren't the guys here? My friends, Kimiko, Clay and Omi. I can only _bend _or whatever one element."

"Are your friends all airbenders?" Aang asked. He looked at the bottle, closed his fist, and the ice turned back into water.

"Omi can do water stuff like you can," Raimundo's shoulders were tense. "Things haven't been so cool since I became team leader-"

"You bend air and you're team leader too?" Aang smiled. "We've got so much in common!"

"Yeah," Raimundo replied with a cocky grin. "No idea why they want me to kick your bald butt." Aang wasn't sure how he felt about that. He was just starting to like this strange boy and now he had to fight him? "Seriously though," the boy slung one arm over his seat. "If you're gonna be bending all four elements I'm gonna need my friends backing me up. Or some wu. They only gave-"

"Wu?" Aang asked.

"Shen Gong Wu," Raimundo gave him a quick history lesson. His quest seemed so much more…fun, compared to Aang's.

"So…" Aang replied after some time. "You only had to master one element and then capture a bunch of mystic objects and play games in order to get them?"

Raimundo rubbed his chin. "Short version? Yes."

"Wow," Aang whistled. "Which wu did you bring?"

"Blade of the Nebula," Raimundo replied. "And the Crest of the Condor-"

"What's that?"

"It amplifies my power," Raimundo said. "You got something like that?"

"I call mine the Avatar State, but I can't use it. They told me so."

"Then I'm gonna guess they're gonna make me nix my stuff huh?" Raimundo sighed. "Well I _did _bring the Sword of the Storm just in case you had something like that under your sleeve." The silence was only there for a moment but Aang knew the elephant in the room was going to get addressed sooner or later. "You know this is to the death right?"

Aang nodded only slightly. He wanted to immediately changed the subject. Maybe he could take away Raimundo's bending. But no that was energybending and against the rules. Only _one _element and it had to be air.

Maybe….

Raimundo stood at the other end of the field. He was wearing his old Xiaolin clothes, the standard red silk shirt, bright blue sash and white pants. His Shoku Warrior clothes were nice and he knew this was going to be a brutal fight. He went over the game plan in his head.

Let the kid bag on him a few times, see what he's got packing, then come at him with everything he had.

The field they were in was suspended a thousand feet off the ground. The entire ground was made of glass so the stadium below could watch them duke it out. He knew somewhere down there were the other monks, staring at him, depending on him to defeat this guy.

But this guy could use _all _the elements. He spent an entire _year _training and learned them all. Rai spent three years and only knew one.

"Players!" the announcer said over the speaker. "Match starts in thirty seconds."

Raimundo's blood started pumping. The Sword was at his feet. He'd use it last. He should've just gone with the Blade. Stupid, stupid. He saw the boy doing stretches. He was pale and had an arrow tattoo on his big bald head.

The boy, Aang (what a stupid name), opened his eyes and balled up his fists.

"Five…" the announcer counted down.

Raimundo gulped.

"Four."

Aang held out both fists.

"Three."

Raimundo suddenly had second thoughts about the Sword.

"Two."

Did he have time? He reached down-

"One-"

No time-

"GO!"

"SWORD OF THE STORM!" Raimundo screamed. The wind surrounding him picked up, swirling into a vicious tornado that slammed right into Aang. The current was so strong Raimundo saw nothing and then-

The tornado started turning in the opposite direction. Raimundo let go of the sword, the counter twister flung it high into the air.

The wind settled and Aang floated back down to the field.

"GO AANG!" someone shouted from below.

Aang sliced the air. A gust of wind knocked Raimundo onto his stomach. Aang started running towards him, gathering up large bursts of air in each hand. Before Raimundo could stand he was blown to the edge of the field. Winds so strong he could barely get a grip on anything.

"No!" he screamed. "Wudai Star Wind!"

Air blasted from Raimundo's outstretched palm and hit Aang in the chest. Aang fell to the ground, accidentally creating an updraft. Perfect. Raimundo launched himself into the updraft and soon found himself flying.

Aang got up, raised his hands above his head and then let them drop.

The air surrounding Raimundo died almost immediately. He found himself tumbling to the field below.

"Not today baldie!" he rubbed his hands together. He hadn't done this move in so long. "TYPHOON-"

It felt as if he was hit with a steamroller, he was thrown to the glass ground so roughly it cracked. Raimundo tasted blood. He struggled to stand and Aang saw the desperation on his face.

And gave him the perfect shot.

"TYPHOON BOOM!" Raimundo clapped his hands. "WIND!"

Air hit Aang from both sides, like two giant fists. Aang spun on the spot and fell face down to the ground.

Raimundo took a deep breath. He had to win this. This kid was powerful, but he had a kind heart. And if he won he'd have to come back and do this again…and again…

But Raimundo could take it again. He hoped.

"WUDAI STAR WIND!" Raimundo screamed until his throat was raw. Aang's body was launched into the air.

The Sword of the Storm suddenly came soaring through the air and was back in Rai's grasp.

And Aang fell back down to the ground-

His eyes saying, "please…don't…"

Raimundo only had time to say "I'm sorry."

Aang fell right through the Sword-

And hit the ground with an irregular thud. Raimundo took a step back. He forgot about that. Now he actually _had _to do something.

He saw Aang's big gray eyes full of tears. "We…we were friends," he said. Almost like a child. Raimundo bit back angry tears. He didn't want to watch this...

He grabbed the back of Aang's neck. Years of martial arts training had made him strong. Strong enough to do what had to be done.

So his friends wouldn't have to do this. So this good, kind kid wouldn't have to do any of this.

Raimundo tossed Aang into the air. Superhumanly high. High enough that if Aang wanted to fly away he could have.

But instead-

Raimundo raised both hands. "Wudai Star…" he hesitated with the last part. "…Wind."

The blast was powerful enough to tear a truck in half-

And it was powerful enough to blast a hole right through Aang's heart.

A dozen gasps echoed from the stadium below, but Raimundo didn't care. He just let Aang's lifeless body hit the stadium floor.

And started crying profusely.

Sometime into the night his friends visited him, trying to pry him out of the depression. But Raimundo didn't need to be bothered. His next match was with Aang's daughter or incarnation or something. Except this "airbender" was stronger and probably more powerful.

Raimundo had much training to do, much training indeed.


End file.
